Meet the entrepreneurs at the heart of Africa's boom - and they're all under 23

By Peter Guest, for CNN

Updated 12:23 PM ET, Thu October 29, 2015

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Photos:Africa's brightest young entrepreneurs

Fabrice Alomo, 22, Cameroon – Fabrice Alomo's MyAConnect aims to help small businesses in Africa to reach a wider audience and sell online. The company's AMoney payment solution allows customers to buy local goods, even without a bank card or account.

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Photos:Africa's brightest young entrepreneurs

George Mtemahanji, 22, Tanzania – George Mtemahanji is working to solve Tanzania's rural energy shortages through his startup SunSweet Solar. The company imports solar photovoltaic products from Europe and builds affordable small-scale power plants for homes and businesses.

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Photos:Africa's brightest young entrepreneurs

Vanessa Zommi, 19, Cameroon – Vanessa Zommi started Emerald Moringa Tea in Cameroon's Buea region when she was just 17. The company processes moringa, a local plant, into a healthy tea that aids digestion.

Chris Kwekowe, 22, Nigeria – Chris Kwekowe launched Slatecube in 2014, a platform that helps students develop industry skills through series of self-paced online courses, field trips, bootcamps and virtual internship programs built in partnership with schools and organizations. The company was one of 50 startups selected to attend the 2015 MITx Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, U.S.

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Photos:Africa's brightest young entrepreneurs

Daniel Mukisa, 21, Uganda – Daniel Mukisa co-founded Transporter Corporation, a Kampala-based motorbike delivery service, in January while still a student at Makerere University. As e-commerce becomes increasingly popular in Uganda, Mukisa hopes Transporter Corporation will give vendors a cost-effective way to navigate Kampala's congested roads.

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Photos:Africa's brightest young entrepreneurs

Chantal Butare, 21, Rwanda – Chantal Butare launched her Kinazi Dairy Cooperative in 2012 to help Rwandan genocide survivors, who had been given cows under a government assistance program, but who were struggling to sell and market their milk. The initiative now serves more than 3,200 farmers, and supplies markets in Rwanda and Burundi.

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Photos:Africa's brightest young entrepreneurs

Karidas Tshintsholo, 20, South Africa – Serial entrepreneur Karidas Tshintsholo launched Push Ismokol Clothing as a social enterprise in 2011, employing six people to make T-shirts, caps and sweaters. The brand has been showcased on South African television and endorsed by a number of local celebrities.

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Photos:Africa's brightest young entrepreneurs

Farai Munjoma, 18, Zimbabwe – In 2014 Farai Munjoma created Shasha Iseminar, an online education platform that provides an online library of course notes, past exam papers and career guidance for high school students in Zimbabwe. Some of the revenue generated by the service is used to contribute to school fees for marginalized rural students.

Hidaya Ibrahim, 22, Ethiopia – Concerned by high drop-out rates and underperformance in Ethiopia's school system, Hidaya Ibrahim founded the Qine Association for Promoting Education Quality in 2013. QAPEQ brings together government, private education institutions and students to discuss educational development.

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Photos:Africa's brightest young entrepreneurs

Blessing Fortune Kwomo, 20, Nigeria – Growing up in a poor community in Port Harcourt, Blessing Fortune Kwomo was in and out of hospital, unable to recover in her home environment. Now a nursing student, she founded De Rehoboths Therapeutic Studio to offer affordable post-care treatment for low-income families.

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Story highlights

17-22 year-old entrepreneurs compete for $75,000 prize fund

Notable past-winners mark the Anzisha Prize as a bellwether for future business stars

(CNN)Africa has the world's youngest and fastest-growing population. Today, the continent is home to more than 200 million people between the ages of 15 and 24, and its young population is increasingly well-educated. On current trends, nearly 60% of 20-24 year-olds in Africa will have a secondary education in 2030, according to the World Bank.

This growing cohort of young, skilled people is reflected in a wave of entrepreneurship that is transforming economies across Africa.

The Anzisha Prize is an award for African entrepreneurs between the ages of 17 and 22, which rewards individuals who have created businesses that solve economic and social problems. In September, the judging panel announced its 12 finalists, who will compete for a share of the $75,000 prize money.

Past grand prize winners -- who take home $25,000 -- include Cameroonian Alain Nteff, who created a mobile app that helps maternal health workers calculate expectant mothers' due dates; and Ugandan Best Aiyorworth, who founded a microfinance organization for women and girls.